The Beach
by CBloom2
Summary: Based loosely on spoilers for the next couple of episodes. Also kind of a continuation of Charlie's Tough Love, but I don't think you have to read that to understand this.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, I'm back again. How exciting do the previews look for the next couple of episodes?**

 **So the title of this might be a bit of a giveaway for what it's about. Loosely based on spoilers and kind of a continuation of Charlie's Tough Love, but I don't think that you have to read that to understand this. I haven't written any pauses during the times that Emilie speaks - but we all know how she does speak, so hopefully you'll be able to hear her voice when you read.**

 **There won't be any blood test results in this either.**

 **As always, I don't own anyone that you recognise.**

 **The Beach**

Ethan's shift had finished over half a hour ago, yet he was still in the hospital, sat by his brothers bedside. Cal had been moved into cubicles until such time that he was ready to be discharged. He had been in a lot of discomfort so he had been given some more pain relief which left him in this restful state. There was no way Ethan was going to wake him - he needed his rest.

The younger doctor kept glancing up at his brothers face, which still bore the hallmarks of the pain and the stress that he had been under lately. Ethan felt a pang of guilt knowing that some of the recent stress had been caused by his actions of the last few weeks. He still couldn't believe himself that he had told Cal that he wasn't his brother anymore. He loved his brother very much, even if he did drive him to distraction sometimes, yet he had completely disowned him for the last few weeks.

He closed his eyes as he dragged in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, "Are you ok?" a voice broke him out of his musings. His eyes snapped open to see the older man looking at him with concern, "I'm not the one with my arm in a sling," Ethan joked.

Cal smiled, "Yeah, but you're the one who looks like he's got the whole world on his shoulders," he told him.

"I'm just thinking..."

"Not a good idea," Cal chuckled, wincing as he straightened up a little, causing Ethan to tense, ready to come to his aid if needed. Cal noticed this but waved him away.

Suddenly, the curtain opened to reveal Charlie, who looked at both of them trying to judge the mood in the cubicle, "It's ok Charlie, we're not going to kill each other," Ethan smiled.

Charlie's mouth turned up slightly, "Glad to hear it. I've managed to find a room for your mum - she's settled at the moment, here are her scans," he handed Ethan the tablet. Cal watched his brother intently as the younger mans brow furrowed, followed by a slight shake of his head, "Ethan..." he ventured.

"It's as we thought..." the young doctor told him, "Pnuemonia."

Cal let his head fall back on the pillow, his eyes filling, "That's not good," he whispered.

"No, it's not good...she probably won't get over this Cal," Ethan told him sadly.

"She's upstairs when you're ready," Charlie told them kindly, and left them to it.

Ethan glanced at the scans in front of him once more, then looked to his brother once again, "We should be with her," Ethan said.

Cal's expression alternated between relief and sadness as he agreed.

Ten minutes later, the two young men stood outside their mother's room. Cal opened the door and stepped inside. Ethan hesitated, still unsure about what was the right thing to do, "Ethan?" he heard. He looked up to see his brother looking at him with confusion. He took a deep breath and walked in, closing the door behind him.

Cal strode right up to his mother's bedside, smiling as her eyes opened, "Hey," he said softly, "Look who's here."

He looked towards the foot of the bed where his younger brother stood, seeming rooted to the spot. Because the head of the bed was already raised, Emilie only had to move her head slightly to see Ethan. Her smile widened when she saw her younger son. Seeing her so happy to see him unlocked Ethan's empathy once more. He moved to her side, choosing the same side as Cal so that she wouldn't have to move much. She held out her hand to him which he took hold of gently, "I am sorry Ethan..."

Ethan shook his head, "Don't be sorry. You've nothing to be sorry for. You were let down badly by someone you thought would help you. Cal told me all about it. I'm so sorry that you had to go through it."

Her eyes filled with tears, "Don't be to hard on your brother. He thought he was protecting you. It's what he always did before you were taken from me," she told him.

Ethan glanced at Cal, "Don't worry Emilie, we've talked it through - we are, and always will be a work in progress," he smiled, hearing Cal chuckle next to him.

Suddenly, the older man began to feel woozy as the adrenaline of the day began to leave his body. He felt himself begin to sway slightly. Ethan somehow picked up on this and guided him to the chair that was near the bed. After making sure his brother was seated, he left the room, arriving back no more than a couple of minutes later with a couple of extra pillows, which he used to rest Cal's arm on. When he was happy that Cal was comfortable, he returned to Emilie's side. She was watching Cal anxiously as he attempted to keep his eyes open, "He was helping me...I couldn't get my balance and we fell - it's my fault," she cried as she began to get agitated. Some of the alarms started blaring, so Ethan grabbed the oxygen mask from behind her bed and gently placed it over her nose and mouth advising her to take deep breaths, while softly stroking the back of her hand in the hope of relaxing her. It seemed to be working as her body began to relax and she drifted off into a restful sleep.

Cal had panicked when he heard the alarms, but one look at how his brother was treating her reassured him and he once again began to drift off to sleep.

Cal woke early the following morning thanks to the throbbing pain in his shoulder. Slowly, he got to his feet so that he could get to his bag for his painkillers. Before that though, he checked on his mother, who was still sleeping soundly. He checked her vitals, even though he knew that they had been checked during the night. Satisfied that she was doing as well as could be expected, Cal turned to look for his bag, only to be surprised at the heartwarming scene that met his gaze. At sometime during the night, another chair had been brought in, which Ethan was currently occupying. But the young doctor was practically perched on the edge of it, his head resting on his left arm which was resting on the bed, fast asleep with his right hand holding Emilies. It made him wish, not for the first time, that he had told Ethan earlier, then they would have had more time to all be together. He spun round to look for his bag, momentarily forgetting about his shoulder until he wrenched it causing him to grunt in pain.

Ethan must have heard him, even in his state of sleep, because his eyes snapped open and he was on his feet in seconds, "Cal, what are you doing?"

"Looking for my painkillers," he hissed.

"Sit back down. I'll get them," he told him firmly as he got the bag and found the tablets, "You need something to eat before you take them," he informed him.

"I know. I think there's a cereal bar in there somewhere. I'll get something more to eat later."

Ethan found it and gave everything to his brother. He then glanced at his watch, "I'm due on shift in a hour - I'd better get some breakfast. Are you staying here?"  
Cal nodded, "Ok, I'll be back when my shift is over. Make sure you get a break and something to eat, " he patted his shoulder before taking his leave.

True to his word, the young doctor arrived back to the room later that day. He walked in quietly to find Cal perched on the bed talking quietly to their mother, who seemed agitated. He quickly made his way to the other side of the bed, "Cal?" he questioned.

"She's getting worse..." was all he offered. Ethan took hold of the oxygen mask once more and tied to place it on her face, but she knocked it out of his hand, "Emilie," he said softly, "You need to wear this - it will help you feel more comfortable. Please...for us."

He tried again and this time she let him. As he did so, their eyes locked and he shuddered as he saw the years of heartache and pain flood her eyes in those few precious seconds.

He then glanced at Cal, who looked exhausted and in pain, "Right Emilie, me and Cal are going to get something to eat ok? We'll be back later."

Emilie, who was now much calmer, nodded her head, "You both look tired," she said.

Ethan smiled as he walked round the bed to help steady Cal, "Cal," Emilie gasped, "Will you think about what we discussed?"

Cal patted her hand, "I'll talk to Ethan about it and see what we can come up with," he promised as he let Ethan guide him out of the room.

Almost a hour later, after a delicious steak meal, Ethan finally asked Cal what Emilie had meant.

"She keeps talking about the beach. She remembers a weekend that we spent there - the weekend before we were taken from her. With everything that happened to her after that, it's her strongest memory of the two of us. She wants to go back there - with us."

Ethan thought for a moment, "She's very ill Cal. The beach is not exactly the best place for someone with pnuemonia..."

"Ethan, she's dying. She knows that she is dying. She just wants one more trip with her boys. I know we've not known her long, but I feel... I just feel like we should try."

Ethan didn't miss the emotion in his brother's voice, "Ok. I'm off tomorrow. I'll pack up the car with oxygen and plenty of blankets - we can get fish and chips..."

Cal smiled gratefully, "Thanks Ethan. Thanks for everything. You've been so understanding - again. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Let's hope you never have to find out," the younger man chuckled although the trepidation behind those words was not lost on either of the brothers.

 **Hope it wasn't to boring. I sped things up half way through because as I was writing it I became a bit bored myself.**

 **Chapter 2 will obviously be the beach. Hopefully I'll get it up in the next few days.**

 **Thank you in advance for reading xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, thank you so much for all your reviews and story followers ( I don't thank you followers enough - sorry!). Glad you enjoyed the first chapter. This is the second, and final, chapter - quite sad. It's took me forever to write it (or so it seems) because I wanted to get it just right and I hope I've done that. Please let me know what you think - thank you.**

 **Chapter 2**

The following morning dawned bright, but chilly, so Ethan made sure that he put a good stack of blankets in the car for their day out. Both himself and Cal had been sent home the previous night by their mother, who had insisted that they have a good nights sleep. They had both woken up early and while Cal actually looked and felt better for sleeping in his own bed, Ethan couldn't say the same. He had slept fitfully during the night, his brain unable to switch off - constantly going over everything that he needed to remember to take with them for their trip. Although he felt drained, he wasn't about to show it. He made sure that he looked rested and eager for the day whenever Cal was around.

He'd left Cal inside preparing a couple of flasks of tea, which wasn't easy with one arm in a sling, while he put chairs and blankets into the boot. As he slammed the lid down, he leaned against the car slightly as he took a deep breath and tried not to let the dark cloud that seemed to be above him swallow him up. He suddenly remembered leaving his one armed brother in charge of flasks of boiling hot water, so he pulled himself together and dashed back in to check up on him.

Thankfully, the older man hadn't come to any harm, but he was having difficulty in screwing the tops on, so Ethan took over the last part.

"Right, let's check that we've got everything," Ethan proposed, causing Cal to roll his eyes.

"How many more times Nibbles," his brother chuckled.

"Just humour me..." the younger man pleaded.

"Don't I always?"

Ethan ignored the sarcasm and proceeded to mentally check his checklist, "I can pick up an oxygen tank from the hospital...I think we're good to go," he smiled at Cal.

Half a hour later, they arrived at Emilie's room, where he doctor was desperately trying to convince her that a day by the sea was not the best idea with pnuemonia, but Emilie was having none of it, "I have only just found my boys after years of being apart - I want my last days to be with them!" she insisted quite forcibly. Cal and Ethan smirked at her insistence, although they both felt a jolt of sadness, knowing what was to come.

They heard the doctor sigh in frustration, "Very well. It's obvious that nothing I say will change your mind," he turned to the young doctors, "I will have to note this - I don't agree at all but I can't keep her here against her will."

"We understand," Ethan told him, "We'll sign anything that you need us to - and thank you," he told the doctor sincerely as he followed him out of the door to sign the relevant paperwork.

Cal, meanwhile, began the arduous task of helping his mother get dressed, hampered by the fact that he only had one good hand. They both dissolved into fits of giggles when something wouldn't go right. This was how Ethan found them when he re-entered the room, "Oh for goodness sake," he breathed, smiling fondly at them.

Twenty minutes later, they were secured in the car and ready to leave. Cal sat in the back with Emilie in case she needed anything. Ethan drove carefully, every so often glancing up at the rear view mirror, catching Emilie's eyes that although were obviously tired, were dancing with joy.

They arrived at their destination at around the same time that the sun decided to disappear, causing a significant windchill, "Typical of our weather," Ethan grumbled as he turned off the engine.

"It doesn't matter to me," Emilie assured him happily.

"It's alright mum, Ethan has packed enough blankets to cover the pitch at Wembley at least three times over!" Cal told her chuckling.

Ethan felt a sharp stab of anger after hearing his brother call Emilie 'mum' - it was something he was unable to call her just yet.

Ethan helped Emilie out of the car and into a wheelchair that he had managed to procure, with a small oxygen tank placed underneath the seat. He made sure that her coat was fastened up properly and that she was well covered with blankets. He put a couple more underneath the chair. Then he passed the bags with the flasks in to Cal, "Can you manage ok?" he asked, not wanting to be the cause of more pain for his brother.

"It's fine, I can manage. I'm more worried about you though, pushing the chair - you're not exactly...er...strong," Cal said with a sly grin on his face.

"I shall treat that comment with the contempt it deserves!" Ethan fired back without a thought, while Emilie sat quietly absorbing the banter between her sons.

Although the breeze drifting from the sea was chilly, they didn't seem to feel it to much, as they were enjoying each others company. After walking for a while, Emilie began to wave her arm in the air, "Stop...here...please," she stuttered, as the two young men looked at each other anxiously, noticing how weak her voice seemed to be. Ethan stopped pushing and turned her to face the sea. The two siblings sat close to her, watching her intently as she closed her eyes and basked in the sea air.

"Time to break out the flasks," Ethan suggested as he took hold of the bag that Cal had been carrying. He filled a special, lidded cup for Emilie, so that there was no way she could burn herself while drinking. She took it from him gratefully, although it took a while for her shaking hand to be still enough to hold it. Ethan felt his eyes fill slightly, not only for his mum, but for either him or Cal - could this be one of their futures?

"This is the place," Emilie began, bringing Ethan back to the present, "This is where I brought you just before..." She couldn't go on so Cal patted her arm in comfort. She caught hold of it and squeezed it as hard as she could, which, Cal noticed, was not very hard at all, "You were so protective of Ethan, even at four years old. He ran off, to where the rock pools are - he was only two. I couldn't get to him quickly enough so you dashed towards him as fast as your little legs could carry you. It looked quite comical watching you drag your little brother back kicking and screaming - but you saved his life. I was next to useless, even then..."

She dropped her head and began to cry softly.

"It wasn't your fault mum," Cal assured her, "We've been through this. It was the early stages of your illness."

"I know that now, but then, I just felt like I was a useless mother."

Ethan watched the exchange between their mother and his brother with deep sadness. He couldn't imagine how Emilie had managed to get herself back on track after such a traumatic loss.

"Ethan, you ok? You look like you're in another world," Cal interrupted his train of thought. He glanced to his right to see both Cal and Emilie watching him anxiously, "I'm sorry...mum..." he said, causing a strangled sob to escape Emilie. She took hold of his hand now, "Why are you sorry?" she smiled.

"I gave you such a hard time when I first found out about you - I behaved like a petulant child - but you have had to endure so much more than most people have had to in your life and I had no right to make it worse."

Emilie was shaking her head, "You didn't make anything worse son, believe me. My only hope is that you can find it, in both of your hearts, to forgive me for not fighting harder for you," she cried, tears cascading down her cheeks and her breath hitching. Ethan picked up a clean tissue and gently dried her tears, "There is nothing to forgive - nothing! You were badly let down by someone you trusted. I wish I hadn't spent the last few weeks so angry at you, and at Cal, I've missed valuable time..." Ethan trailed off.

"You're here now, that's what matters," Emilie told him before breaking into a coughing fit. Ethan jumped up and got the oxygen tank set up and gently placed the mask over her face. She took deep breaths, but it was obvious to both men that it had taken a lot out of her. She finally caught her breath and smiled gratefully at them. Then she took hold of both their hands, "Thank you for these last few weeks. I've loved getting to know you. You're both fine young men, and although I may not have the right to say it, I'm very proud of both of you."

She squeezed their hands and they both took a turn in hugging her. As Ethan pulled away, he noticed how much weaker she had become. Her colour had changed and her breaths came out in short pants. He looked to his brother, who looked stricken. They had both been doctors long enough to know what was happening. Ethan also knew that he had to be the strong one once again for a while, "Are we ready for some chips?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mmmm...I would...love some," Emilie smiled weakly, "P...plenty of salt and vinegar," she told him.

He caught Cal's gaze and he nodded sadly. Before he left, however, Ethan felt the need to give his mother a gentle kiss on the cheek. He felt her smile under his lips and she squeezed his hand once more.

No more that fifteen minutes later, Ethan arrived back to where he had left his family. His heart skipped a beat. He saw Cal holding Emilie tightly against him, obviously trying not to cry. Before he took another step, an ambulance arrived and Iain jumped out with his new partner. He took one look at the scene in front of him and turned to Ethan, "I'm sorry mate," he said quietly. They unloaded a trolley and proceeded to place Emilie onto it, once they had persuaded Cal to let go. Ethan quickly stood beside Cal, just touching him slightly to let him know that he was there. The older man glanced in his direction, "She just slipped away," was all he said as he turned away. Iain had just started to move back to the ambulance when Ethan stopped him, "Can I have a minute with her?" he asked, hopefully, thankful when his friend nodded, " Let me get her in the back," he told him, inviting him to follow them.

He climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat himself down next to his mum, "I'm sorry I didn't get chance to know you better," he whispered, "But I am glad I met you. Now it's your time to rest - no more heartache. Goodbye mum," he finished as he kissed her cold cheek. He covered her back up and exited the vehicle, "Thank you," he said to Iain.

The paramedic patted his shoulder, "No problem. I'm sorry for your loss," he turned towards the other doctor, "I think you might need to look after Cal..."

Ethan nodded, "I know," he breathed.

The younger man watched the ambulance leave, then turned his attention to the solitary figure now sat on the bench. He tried to prepare himself to be strong. He sat down beside his brother, who's gaze was fixed out to sea - his jaw set rigid, "Cal," he began but his older sibling shook his head slightly - he wasn't ready to talk just yet. Ethan, not knowing what to do to help him at that moment, decided to open the chips and he began to eat them (even though they were nearly cold). After he had eaten a few, he became aware that his brother was staring at him in surprise, "I know," he mumbled with his mouth full, "I'm useless at times like this," he admitted as he offered the bag of chips to his brother. Cal wiped his eyes quickly, took a chip and devoured it quickly, "These are good," he commented.

Ethan nodded his agreement, "Cal, I..." Ethan started, "Well, you know I'm here..."

Cal grabbed another handful of chips, "I know Ethan...I just can't...not yet."

They both made short work of the chips and while Cal went in search of a toilet, Ethan packed up the car, his breath catching as he loaded the now folded wheelchair into the boot. He glanced at his watch and realised that they had been out for over six hours - only took six hours for their lives to change once more.

As he waited for Cal, an idea popped into his mind...

Cal slowly made his way back to the car with a heavy heart, made all the more heavier when he noticed that everything had been packed away. For a split second, he was annoyed at his brother for all but erasing Emilie's existence before she'd been gone for a hour - but he also realised that Ethan had done it so that he didn't have to. It was then that he became aware that his brother was nowhere to be seen.

His stomach tight, Cal looked all around him until suddenly he heard his name being called.

He ran down to the beach, "You can't catch me!" he heard his brother yell. Had he heard him correctly?

He watched, in surprise, as Ethan took off running towards the rock pools, just like their mother had been talking about earlier. Cal was suddenly transported back to that day, and instead of seeing his thirty year old brother, he saw the two year old toddler running headlong into danger. That was enough to send Cal sprinting across the sand, arriving by Ethan's side just in time to save him from skidding headlong into an icy rock pool. He grabbed hold of his brother with his one good arm and pulled him close in a vice like grip, not realising that hot, salty tears were tumbling down both of their faces. The two young men stood like that for a while, until they both began to shiver with cold. Ethan rubbed his face, "Come on Cal, let's go home."

 **Phew, there you have it.**

 **I know I say this a lot, but I'm really not sure about this chapter. Perhaps Emilie's demise was rather swift, but I didn't want to think about another chapter. I hope it wasn't to bad.**

 **Can't wait for Saturday's episode - I hope there's some good stuff for our brothers in it.**

 **Til next time...**


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